It will also result in reduced water and power consumption, lower ongoing maintenance costs, reduced noise levels and an improvement in the overall quality of the finished foam products.

The new machine is three times faster than the ones it replaced.

Richard Coombes, general manager of GWP Protective said, “Despite increased competition in the market, what we’ve witnessed over the last 24 months is a rise in demand for the range of products and services we provide.

"This significant investment will enable us to maintain the critical fast turnaround times we offer, as well as our hard earned reputation for reliability, as we continue to grow."

GWP Protective are part of the larger GWP Group, which manufacture a broad range of packaging products and have two manufacturing facilities in Wiltshire.

The company has recently made other significant investments, including the installation of LED lighting at their Cricklade facility, new die cutting machinery which will be operational in mid 2018, plus a new warehouse also planned for later in the year.